Throughout my life, I have had many educators. However, one in particular that has stood out to me and made an enormous difference in my life is Chance Burleson.

Chance Burleson would not really be called your “everyday” educator. Mr. Burleson is actually Master Burleson, my karate instructor. He is a remarkable man. From his training, I have gained a vast variety of things.

For instance, he has taught me to always have self-respect. If you don’t have respect for yourself, then no one will have respect for you. You have to have belief in your own worth and your own dignity.

Another thing that I have picked up from Master Burleson is to have pride in oneself. Everyone should be proud of what they have accomplished. Every obstacle that has been come over, every “bump in the road” that has been managed to have been climbed over, we should be proud of. Pride is one thing that everyone should have and that cannot be taken away. If you work hard for something, and if you put all your sweat and tears into that something, you should be proud of what you are working for and the reasons behind it.

Master Burleson has always taught his students the importance of gratitude and appreciation. Having gratitude and appreciation towards what you have and what people have done for you is not commonly seen nowadays. Less and less people are learning to have gratitude and appreciation for things. This is why Master Burleson stresses that everyone attending his dojo will learn the meanings of these words and will practice them on a daily basis. I have found that having gratitude and appreciation for things really does make a difference and has a huge impact of the opinion others have about someone.

Respect. Another lesson stressed by Master Burleson. Respect is an additional thing that one hardly sees anymore. Respect, in this world could easily be described as a campfire slowly burning out as the night progresses towards morning. Respect is gradually being lost in this world. People are getting meaner and ruder and more corrupt. Master Burleson reestablishes respect in his students. He teaches it and makes his students practice it constantly. Before you know it, you are opening doors for women, and addressing adults as “sir” and “ma’am.” There is nothing like opening the door for an elderly couple and seeing their reaction; knowing that they are thinking that there is still some hope for this world and that our whole generation is not all punks. Master Burleson has made me realize that respect is truly a great and powerful thing to possess.

There is something special in everyone. Master Burleson helps every student see this. Everyone has something unique in them. After training with him for many years, I know that I can do anything I put my mind to if I am willing to work for it.

Never take the easy way out. Master Burleson has definitely made me believe this. I remember him saying one class “If you take the easy way out, you’re only cheating yourself.” This has stuck with me throughout my life. Putting your sweat, blood, and tears into something will mean a lot more than trying to find a “loop-hole” around the work. As said by the Marines, and something that Master Burleson makes all of his students believe, “Pain is weakness leaving the body.”





Always have goals, never give up, and always give 110 percent. Mr. Burleson teaches his students to set goals and go for them and to never give up on those goals. Never give up no matter the odds. Master Burleson helped me reach my goal of earning my black belt. He helped me along every step of the way there. He always made me give 110 percent every class. Now, thanks to Master Burleson pushing me and making me give 110 percent, I apply it to my daily life. I do my absolute best in everything I do and push myself further than I ever would have thought possible. Master Burleson has really installed these beliefs inside me and I believe every one of them with all my heart.

Master Chance Burleson is truly a “renaissance man.” This essay has just barely scraped the surface of what this man does and how he has changed my life and the life of many others. I would not be where I am today, with the same feeling and opinion of myself, if I wouldn’t have started to training with him. There is no “thank you” in this world large enough to even begin to say to him. Master Burleson is a one in a hundred man. Master Chance Burleson is an Educator of the Year.